Alex Iwobi's biggest supporter on and off the field is his father Chuka. A lawyer based in the UK, Iwobi senior abandoned his budding football career to pursue law in order to assure a better future for his family. His son has picked up where he left off, putting the family name on TV screens across the world with his impressive performances for Arsenal. Iwobi junior finally committed his international future to the Super Eagles when they took on Egypt recently. His father spoke extensively recently on his son and why he commits his future to Nigeria.
You finally saw Alex make his competitive debut for Nigeria having jettisoned your own football career as a youth – how does that make you feel?
“Alex came on in the 81st minute and it was more like a dream come true, and that answers the question on whether Alex is going to play for England or Nigeria. That put a stop to the question and the rest is for him to work hard and become a regular for the Nigerian side and take it game by game.”
Many parents would feel playing for England is more prestigious. Was it a tough decision to make?
“My philosophy in life is to always follow your heart. For Alex, I did play a role in persuading him to come, but ultimately it was his decision to come and play for Nigeria. It’s been a long journey, not an easy journey, and we want to send a message to footballers of Nigerian origin who are abroad. “There is a lot of misconception that things are not properly organised in Nigeria. All I can say to those people is come, have a look as I have done, and they will see a totally different setup from what they have heard. It is a joy to play for Nigeria, things are properly done in Nigeria, Nigeria is a big footballing nation and I would like to encourage everyone out there who is having any doubt to come and see and taste for themselves.
Are you happy with his progress under the wing of Arsene Wenger?
“Without a doubt, Wenger is a coach who encourages young stars. He has a pedigree of bringing through youngsters from a very early age and there have been a lot of African footballers who have played under Wenger and done very well. People like Emmanuel Eboue, Lauren, Alex Song, and Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka. “These are players who have come to Arsenal at a very young age when they were starting their careers – and look where he has taken them. Wenger has a system of moulding young stars – you have to be patient, you have to keep the faith and you have to trust in him.
How much effort did you put into his career as a young boy? Has travelling overseas to see him play affected your career?
“I have a personal relationship with Alex. To me, he’s a son, to him, I’m his dad, but the relationship is more like best friends because he is an adult and able to make decisions. “I’m a lawyer and I work in the UK – fortunately I work for myself, I’m self-employed, so I’m able to organize my diary. When we knew he was coming to Nigeria, I was able to put in a lot of work and I was also able to delegate some of my files to colleagues. So that then has helped me to create some time.
Does he still live at home or is he living Alex prefers Nigeria to England, says father PAGE 43 PAGE 44 alone?
“Alex lives alone but I must say he’s got his bed at home. They train Monday to Friday, he lives near the training ground but he comes home every Friday because he loves his mummy’s cooking. I’m talking about Nigerian food.”
Interestingly about food, what did he eat – was it salad or pepper soup that caused his food poisoning before Nigeria’s game against Egypt?
“To be honest, I’m not certain. All I can say is that he ate something that did not agree with him and that caused him a problem but thank God he was able to recover very quickly. He’ll kill me for this, but Alex’s favourite food is Eba and Okra soup made by his mum. He eats all kinds of Nigerian food.”
Does he speak Pidgin and Igbo?
“I think it’s an indictment on my own person.on my own person. My name is Chuka Iwobi, I speak Igbo, I understand Yoruba. Unfortunately for Alex, he cannot speak Igbo but he understands Igbo and I think it’s a failing on our part because we could have done a bit more to make him understand Igbo. Meanwhile, He has got his uncle Jay-Jay Okocha to look up to and Alex has said: ‘I love being Jay-Jay’s nephew but I want to establish my own identity, I want people to know me as Alex Iwobi and not Alex Iwobi, Jay-Jay’s nephew’, which obviously shows a lot of ambition. “I mean, Jay-Jay has been his mentor, he encourages him, he tells him where to go and how to conduct himself. In the scheme of things, he still wants to have his own identity just like any other player, so Alex Iwobi is Alex Iwobi. And I’m glad he’s beginning to assert himself and become Alex Iwobi. With hard work and dedication, he can only get better and that is the prayer of every parent.